The Derry City and Strabane District Council have voted in favor of moving to officially changing the name of Londonderry to Derry. Unionists are describing the decision, voted upon on Thursday evening, as “sectarian” and “disgusting.” The vote passed with the full support of Sinn Féin, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and the Independent councillors, despite opposition from the minority unionist block. The council will now write to Environment Minister Mark H. Durkan of the SDLP, on how to go about the change. Durkan is himself a native of Derry. According to TheJournal.ie, 28 councillors voted to seek...

Police in Belfast are investigating a photo posted to social media on Monday in which a group of masked men yielding baseball bats, axes and stakes stand before a wall of graffiti that threatens to crucify Catholics. “Taigs will be crucified,” the shocking message reads, using a derogatory term for Irish Catholics. The letters “VTOT” are written below, with a cross. They are believed to stand for “Village Team on Tour,” the name of a loyalist gang in South Belfast. The graffiti was discovered on Monday, when the photo was first shared on social media. It has been widely viewed...

A horrific spinal injury caused by a bronze arrowhead didn't immediately kill an Iron Age warrior, who survived long enough for his bone to heal around the metal point, a new study of his burial in central Kazakhstan finds. "This found individual was extremely lucky to survive," said study researcher Svetlana Svyatko, a research fellow in the school of geography, archaeology and paleoecology at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. "It's hard to get a vertebral wound without damaging the main blood vessels, which would have resulted in an immediate death."

End austerity: it’s cheating us all; Jobs not Trident; No cuts; Defy Tory rule; Cut war not welfare; Stop fracking; a Living Wage for mothers; and, The Pope gets it, why can’t you? With the slogans emblazoned on banners, posters and flags, anti-austerity marchers shouted slogans, sang, and beat drums, as they walked through London in what is being called the biggest protest march that the city has seen. The ‘End Austerity Now’ demonstration saw participation by an estimated crowd of between 70,000 and 250,000, all coming together to protest against cuts imposed due to austerity, the threats to the...

Veteran actor and gay rights activist Patrick Stewart has defended a Christian bakery which was found guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan. Last month, a judge ruled that Ashers Baking Company in Northern Ireland had discriminated against a gay customer by refusing to make a cake with the words “support gay marriage”, along with a picture of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. Gareth Lee commissioned the cake for an event to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The bakery initially accepted the order, but called Mr. Lee two days later...

Police in Northern Ireland said they are investigating the unauthorized flying of the Irish national flag over Northern Ireland's Parliament Buildings. A representative for the Northern Ireland Assembly confirmed the tricolor Irish flag was flown over Belfast's Parliament Buildings for about 10 minutes Wednesday. "Two flags were flown without permission from the roof," the representative told the BBC. The roof and fourth floor of the Parliament Buildings, commonly referred to as Stormont, are currently under construction, with contractors having complete access to the areas, officials said. "Whatever the motivation behind this there must be a full explanation from the Assembly...

Americans ‘overreacted’ to the 9/11 attacks, according to the newly appointed first female vice-chancellor of Oxford University. Terrorism expert Professor Louise Richardson said the 2001 atrocity provoked such a response because violent extremism was a ‘new experience’ in the US. Widespread panic ensued in America after al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners and flew them into buildings, causing almost 3,000 deaths. In contrast, British citizens have shown themselves to be more ‘resilient’ in the face of terror when dealing with violence during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, she said.

The Conservatives have opened up a four-point lead over Labour after the biggest surge in their support for two years, a poll has suggested. A Guardian/ ICM poll showed that the Tories are six points up to 36 per cent, only one point short of their result in the 2010 General Election. Labour support fell one point to 32 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats were also down a point to 10 per cent.

“PARA USA regrets its decision to provide firearms for use in the film "Taken 3". While the film itself is entertaining, comments made by its Irish-born star during press junkets reflect a cultural and factual ignorance that undermines support of the Second Amendment and American liberties,” the company posted on its Facebook page. “We will no longer provide firearms for use in films starring Liam Neeson

Investigation after 328-foot turbine buckles at wind farm in County Tyrone despite only light winds A 328-foot tall wind turbine worth more than Ł2 million pounds has buckled and collapsed on a mountainside in Northern Ireland. Unconfirmed reports suggested the blades of the turbine had spun out of control - despite only light wind speeds - before the structure came crashing to the ground on Friday. Locals claimed the sound of the turbine hitting the mountain could be heard up to seven miles away from the Screggagh wind farm, near Fintona in County Tyrone.

English taxpayers face being held to ransom by Scottish and Welsh nationalists in a 'rainbow' coalition to prop up Labour - despite having voted overwhelmingly for the Conservatives. Even though Labour and the Liberal Democrats have now entered talks over a possible deal, they will only get a Commons majority if they ally themselves with minority parties from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But these parties, such as the SNP and Plaid Cymru, have said they will demand their countries be protected from cuts as a price for keeping Labour in No 10. Although last week's election was inconclusive across...

Northern Ireland’s most prominent anti-abortion activist was convicted Wednesday of harassing the director of Belfast’s only abortion clinic in the latest chapter of a bitter two-year confrontation. Bernadette Smyth, leader of the Precious Life group, was convicted on two counts of threatening Dawn Purvis, who runs British family planning service Marie Stopes’ Belfast branch. It is the only such clinic on the island of Ireland, where abortion is legal only in extreme cases where a woman’s life is deemed at risk from her pregnancy. …

A Northern Ireland man who says he fought against the Islamic State group in Syria appeared in court Saturday charged with terrorism offenses. Eamon Bradley of Londonderry is charged with possessing a grenade and receiving training in arms and explosives. A police officer told the court that the 25-year-old convert to Islam traveled to Syria earlier this year and joined the Army of Islam, a group fighting both the Syrian government and IS. He says he took part in two battles against the regime and one against the Islamic State group. …

Sinn Féin party leader Gerry Adams denied new accusations Thursday that he concealed child-abuse crimes within his own secretive movement, this time allegedly committed by a Belfast officer of the outlawed Irish Republican Army. Mairia Cahill, a member of one of Belfast’s top IRA families, appeared alongside a former foreign minister outside Ireland’s parliament to accuse Adams of conspiring to suppress her reports of being raped by an IRA commander from Adams’ home district in 1997, when she was 16. …

Labour leader says he's open to English-only 'scrutiny' of law but not vetoes. He refused to back English votes for English laws after being asked 13 times. Mr Miliband claims move was drawn up on back of a 'fag packet' by the PM . David Cameron said if Scotland gets new powers so should England. But Mr Miliband said the proposal would mean our 'Parliament being split up'. Mr Miliband says he's 'not in favour of a Commons that becomes divided'. Labour has 41 MPs in Scotland which could help it form a majority next year . ... Why should...

Like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regional parliaments... However, England's lack of a similar legislative body has led to a messy situation where Scottish lawmakers can vote on issues that only affect England at the U.K.-wide Westminster parliament ... Just as Scotland will vote separately…on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues

"I have long believed that a crucial part missing from this national discussion is England. "We have heard the voice of Scotland - and now the millions of voices of England must also be heard. "The question of English votes for English laws - the so-called West Lothian question -requires a decisive answer. "So, just as Scotland will vote separately in the Scottish Parliament on their issues of tax, spending and welfare so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues and all this must take place in tandem with, and...

September 12, 2014 Northern Ireland Firebrand Ian Paisley Dead At 88 DUBLIN -- The Rev. Ian Paisley, the divisive Protestant firebrand who devoted his life to thwarting compromise with Catholics in Northern Ireland only to become a pivotal peacemaker in his twilight years, died Friday in Belfast, his wife said. He was 88. Paisley was Northern Ireland's most polarizing politician throughout its three decades of civil strife, during which the evangelist's blistering oratory was often blamed for fueling the bloodshed that claimed 3,700 lives. Yet at the zenith of his peace-wrecking powers, Paisley in 2007 stunned the world by delivering...

The Rev Ian Paisley, Protestant firebrand and former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has died at the age of 88. The Rev Paisley served as First Minister of Northern Ireland for a year when power was first devolved in 2007. His deputy, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin, expressed sadness at the news of his death. “Over a number of decades we were political opponents and held very different views on many, many issues but the one thing we were absolutely united on was the principle that our people were better able to govern themselves than any British government,” he...

Former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Albert Reynolds has died. He was 81. He became the eighth taoiseach of the country in 1992, serving for just under three years. His family said last year that he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Northern Ireland’s leading pro-life group, Precious Life, has condemned this week's announcement by Justice Minister David Ford that a consultation on changing the abortion law will be "ready by autumn." The government is considering allowing the killing of pre-born babies suspected of being disabled and those conceived through rape or incest. “Abortion is a serious criminal offence in Northern Ireland,” said the director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth. “The law here protects unborn babies, and David Ford as Minister for Justice must ensure that all children are legally protected." Last December, Ford revealed he would be undertaking a consultation to...

The longest sea bridge in the world at 20.2 miles long is the Donghai bridge that links Shanghai to Yangshan in China. A bridge from either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland would have to be even longer than that. In 2007, a 21-mile rail bridge was proposed between Galloway, Scotland, to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The idea would have trains running from Dublin, through Belfast, over the sea to Scotland, and then down railways into London... "Four main routes have been proposed. Two run from Scotland to Northern Ireland - Campbeltown to County Antrim, or Stranraer to Belfast. Two...

A Christian-run bakery is facing legal action from a Government agency for refusing to produce a cake carrying a picture of the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the slogan “support gay marriage”. Ashers Baking Co., based in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, canceled an order for a novelty cake with a picture of the puppets arm in arm printed onto the icing saying that it went against the directors’ religious beliefs. They believe that producing the cake with the slogan and the logo of QueerSpace, a gay rights group the would-be customer supports, would amount to endorsing the campaign for...

People in Northern Ireland are older and more likely to be atheist and divorced than their neighbors in the Republic. A new census report systematically compares life in the two jurisdictions for the first time, highlighting key differences and similarities in religion, lifestyle and work. […] Marriage and living together are both slightly more common in the Republic while splitting up and lone parenthood are more common in Northern Ireland. Nearly one in 10 adults in Northern Ireland is divorced or separated—which is nearly twice as many as in the Republic—and 37% of northerners are single compared with 42% of...

Just a week after a scandal was sparked by a preacher slating Islam as “satanic”, a second preacher has launched a broadside against the faith. The minister at Lord Bannside’s former church, Martyr’s Memorial Free Presbyterian in east Belfast, has blasted Islam as a “violent, intolerant, wicked religion”. The Rev. Ian Brown was speaking at a recent Sunday evening service in defense of Pastor James McConnell, whom he described as a “prophet”. […] In an sermon posted on the Martyr’s Memorial website, Rev. Brown is heard saying: “Now the allies and sympathizers of Islam are up on their hind legs;...

BELFAST, Northern Ireland – A 75-year-old Irish preacher was subjected to a police probe after he condemned Islam in a sermon and was accused of ‘hate mongering.’ James McConnell, pastor of the Whitewell Metropolitan Church in North Belfast, Ireland, discussed the religion of Islam during an evening sermon on Sunday, May 18th. During the sermon, McConnell denounced Islam and said the contrast between it and Christianity is stark. “The God we worship and serve this evening is not Allah,” he proclaimed, according to a video of his sermon. “The Muslim god—Allah—is a heathen deity. Allah is a cruel deity. Allah...

Sinn Féin has emerged as the biggest party in Northern Ireland following the local government elections—but the DUP has claimed the greater number of council seats. The republican party claimed 24.1% of all first preference votes with the DUP on 23.1%. Both parties, however, saw their share of the vote slip with the DUP down by 4.1% and Sinn Féin marginally down by 0.7%. …

Police have launched a probe into a a potential hate crime after an outspoken evangelical pastor defended describing the Islamic faith as “satanic” and a “doctrine spawned in hell”. Senior Pastor James McConnell made the remarks as he addressed his congregation at the Whitewell Tabernacle Metropolitan Church on Sunday evening. They were described as “very offensive”, “hurtful” and “irresponsible” by a representative from the Belfast Islamic Centre. […] During his sermon, the clergyman said: “Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.” He also likened Muslims to the IRA, saying there were cells spread right...

She’s the woman who wants adultery criminalized, homosexuality made illegal and rock groups like Iron Maiden banned in Northern Ireland—and she wants your vote. Meet Susan Anne White, one of the most outspoken and controversial candidates in the upcoming council elections. The 55-year-old is standing as an independent in the new Fermanagh and Omagh district and is campaigning on what she says are the three most serious threats to society—the “destructive” homosexual agenda, the growth of Islam and the "money-draining" EU. “I don’t consider myself extreme at all,” Mrs. White told the Belfast Telegraph. …

BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams is expected to be released from police custody without charge Sunday, and authorities will send a file of potential evidence against him to British prosecutors, a senior policeman said.

Gerry Adams has been released without charge from a Northern Ireland police station but a file on him will be sent to the public prosecution service, it has emerged. The Sinn Féin president was freed at 5.45pm on Sunday from the serious crimes suite at Antrim police station. He was being questioned about the murder in 1972 of widow Jean McConville as well as IRA membership.

The European Left's candidate for the European Commission presidency, Alexis Tsipras, Friday called for the immediate release of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams who is been held for questioning in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville. Tsipras called the arrest a "politically inflammatory act against democracy".

Police in Northern Ireland have been given more time to question Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville. ... An initial 48-hour deadline to either charge or release him was due to expire at 20:00 BST on Friday, but the police successfully applied for more time to question him. ...

The IRA has a secret arsenal of deadly munitions capable of bringing down military helicopters and penetrating PSNI Land Rovers, killing all personnel traveling inside. Millionaire Florida stockbroker turned IRA gunrunner, Mike Logan, says he sent the powerful incendiary shells to the Provisionals who tested them and were “delighted with the results”. […] As well as arming the Provisionals with hundreds of handguns as previously reported, he has now disclosed that he also sent munitions as powerful as those the US Army deployed against Saddam Hussein in the Iraq war. He claims that years after the IRA ceasefire, the Provos...

The new leader of the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland has angered the gay community just a day after his election by saying they should stay celibate. Rev. Dr. Michael Barry (63) takes charge of the Presbyterian Church in June following his election as Moderator earlier on Tuesday. […] “We welcome all people into the Church, but we would have a problem with those who are involved in a gay relationship because we believe the Bible teaches that is against the word of God,” he said. “We would encourage people who are gay to live a celibate life.” …

'Liam Adams, a brother of Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams, has been jailed for 16 years for raping and abusing his daughter. Adams' sentence is subject to an automatic 50% remission. Adams, 58, from Bernagh Drive, Belfast, was convicted of 10 offences in October, including rape and gross indecency, against his daughter, Áine, who waived her right to anonymity. She welcomed the sentence but said it was "still much too little, too late".'

Retired police officers have warned they could be forced to reveal information which would undermine the peace process during any truth commission into Northern Ireland’s past. The warning from The Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers’ Association (NIRPOA) came in a 64-page submission to the Haass Commission for dealing with the past. The submission makes it clear that the body represents officers who have been involved in what was known as the “shoot to kill” policy, a term they reject, and it is also known to represent many retired Special Branch officers. …

Northern Ireland health minister Edwin Poots has insisted his controversial opposition to gay adoption is entirely natural. Man and woman should raise children, the senior Democratic Unionist said. The minister has tried to challenge an appeal court’s decision that paved the way for gay and lesbian couples to adopt children in the region. That bid was thrown out by the UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court. …

The dilapidated offices where plans for the Titanic were drawn up are to be re-opened as part of a Ł5 million regeneration project. The future of the historic building that used to house the headquarters and design studios of Harland and Wolff shipbuilders in Belfast has been secured by the Heritage Lottery Fund award. While the drawing offices will be opened for public use, the majority of the landmark structure is set to be transformed into a luxury Titanic-themed boutique hotel. The listed building is only yards from where the doomed liner was built and then launched more than a...

An Ł18 million ($29 million) EU offer to fund the building of a peace and reconciliation center at the former Maze prison site has been withdrawn. The Democratic Unionists earlier halted plans to build the facility at the Maze, near Lisburn, as relations with their power-sharing partners Sinn Féin deteriorate. Republicans have warned of a crisis facing the devolved administration after a summer of violence on the streets. The European Union had offered the money, but after talks with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the body responsible for allocating the finance said it had decided...

Liam Adams - the younger brother of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams - has been found guilty of a string of child sex abuse charges. Liam Dominic Adams, 58, from Bernagh Drive in west Belfast, was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting his daughter, Aine, over a six-year period between 1977 and 1983 when she was aged between four and nine. Bespectacled Adams, who was wearing a grey suit, cream shirt and blue tie, showed no emotion as the guilty verdicts were returned. Remanding him in custody Judge Corinne Philpott said: "Take him down." The jury of nine men and...

Wow, stop the presses. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League has issued a statement reprimanding conservatives who have taken out of context President Obama’s comments about Catholic schools in a recent speech in Ireland:(T)he reaction on the part of conservatives, many of whom are Catholic, over (Obama’s) speech in Ireland, is simply insane. Never did Obama say he wants “an end to Catholic education.” Indeed, he never said anything critical about the nature of Catholic schools. It makes me wonder: Have any of his critics bothered to actually read his speech? …

BELFAST June 20, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) â€“ President Barack Obama is under fire this week after a speech he gave in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in which he labeled Catholic education â€śdivisive" and likened them to segregated schools in the Deep South. Obamaâ€™s comments have not only angered Catholics in Northern Ireland, but have put him at odds with the Vaticanâ€™s highest authorities in what remains an extremely complex and sensitive internal political dispute. In comments that the Scottish Catholic Observer called â€śalarmingâ€ť and â€śunfounded,â€ť Obama implied that tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland would be eliminated if there were...

US President Barack Obama has argued that parochial schools are an impediment to the establishment of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Speaking to a crowd in Belfast, during a trip to Northern Ireland for a G8 summit meeting, Obama said that “segregated schools” block the path to full reconciliation. “If towns remain divided, if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can't see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division, it discourages cooperation," he said. …

June 17, 2013 Obama assassination bid fears - aircraft carriers on standby off Irish coast during G8 summit @Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 17th June 2013 - Mandatory Credit - Brian Little/ Presseye --- Culture Minister Carl N Chuiln and Minister for Education, John O'Dowd MLA waiting for US President Barack Obama during his visit to the Waterfront Hall, Belfast ahead of the G8 Summit in County Fermanagh. ..It is understood that a contingency plan is in place for the unlikely event that an attempt would be made on the President’s life. The Secret Service also have diplomatic immunity...

British Prime Minister David Cameron says leaders gathering Monday for the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland should reach speedy agreement on trade and tax reforms, and draw inspiration from the host country’s ability to resolve its own stubborn conflict. … Referring to Northern Ireland’s ability to leave behind a four-decade conflict that claimed 3,700 lives, he said leaders of the Group of Eight wealthy nations should be inspired by the setting—the lush lakelands of County Fermanagh—to deliver their own economic breakthrough. … Obama, seizing on that theme, was beginning his trip in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast, where he’s...

Northern Ireland’s Lord Mayor of Belfast offered an enthusiastic endorsement of a certain Irish-American mayoral candidate Thursday morning during a visit to Gracie Mansion. “We think that every city needs an Irish mayor. And New York has had a series of wonderful mayors and we think it would be wonderful in the days ahead, in the short time ahead, if New York had an Irish-American mayor again,” Lord Mayor Máirtin Ó Muilleoir told Politicker this morning, as he posed for photographs with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn by his side. While Mr. Ó Muilleoir didn’t mention...

A bid to legalize same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland has failed. Unionists voted down a motion at Stormont’s Assembly which called on the power-sharing ministerial Executive to legislate. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without marriage rights for gay couples. The issue sparked impassioned debate, with protests outside the legislature and verbal clashes between campaigners in favor of or opposed to the change. Amnesty International has warned of a likely legal challenge. … Church leaders had urged Assembly members to vote against the legislation, with the Catholic church asserting marriage was between a man and a woman....